Charcoal starter



March 10, 1970 w. F. KAUFMANN 3499,399

CHARGOAL STARTER Filed April 15, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 5 WILLIAM F KAUFMANN 1 @vmmi:, Jim, MM

AT TYS.

U.S. Cl. 110--1 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A charcoal startet forrned from a single blank of sheet material, the opposite side edges thereof being folded to form interlocking seams thereon so that it can be shipped and/er stored flat and thereafter easily forrned into a tube. A number of flanges formed in the blank are bent interiorly of the formed tube, to form a grate for supporting the charcoal and for providing an area below the charcoal in which newspaper or other similar easily ignitable material can be placed and ignited to start the charcoal. Individual flues also can be functionally associated With each of the flanges forming the grate, to enhance combustion and faster starting of the charcoal.

ber of flanges formed in the blank are bent interiorly of the formed tube, to form a grate for supporting the charcoal and for providing an area below the charcoal in which newspaper or other similar easily ignitable material can be placed and ignited to Start the charcoal. The blank also can be corrugated to provide individualized flues which are functionally associated with each of the flanges forming the grate, to enhance combustion and faster starting of the charcoal. The charcoal Starter also can be -used as a cooker and as a srnall heater for fish shanties, carnping, and other outdoor activities, as well as other similar uses, as will be apparent from the description below.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved charcoal starter.

More particularly, it is an object to provide an improved charcoal startet which is formed from a single blank of sheet material in a fashion such that it can be shipped and/T stored flat and thereafter easily and quickly formed.

Another object is to provide an improved charcoal starter of the above type which is further formed in a fashion such that a grate for supporting the charcoal is provided with and formed as an integral part of the charcoal starter.

Still another object is to provide a charcoal starter of the above type having a number of flues for enhancing cornbustion and faster starting of the charcoal.

Other objects of the invention will in art be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which Will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and the scope of the invention Will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor grill with United States Patent O ice the formed charcoal starter seated therein, generally illustrating the manner in which it is used to Start the charcoal which is thereafter to be spilled into the outdoor grill;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view generally illustrating the manner in which the charcoal, after being started, is spilled into the outdoor grill;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the formed charcoal Starter;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the single blank of sheet material, generally illustrating the manner in which it is preformed, for shipping and/er storing;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a charcoal starter exemplary of a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the charcoal starte1 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of the single blank of sheet material from which the charcoal starter of FIG. 6 is formed; and

FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of one of the flanges, generally illustrating an alternative manner of forming the cut-outs therein, so as to provide upstanding charcoal supports.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGS. 15 there is illustrated a charcoal starter 10 which is formed from the single blank of sh-eet material 12 (FIG. 5) which is preferably 26 or 28 gauge sheet steel 0x other similar material which will not be adversely affected by the heat generated Within the charcoal starter. A preferred material is that manufactured by the Empire Reeves Division of Cyclops Steel, Mansfield, Ohio, and marketed under the trade name Black Beauty, since this material Will not rust or discolor when heated.

The blank 12 is folded along the length of each of its opposite edges 14 and 16 in a fashion such as to form lock seams 18 and 20 thereon, respectively, which are adapted to interlock With one another to form a cylindrical-shaped tube, as can be best seen in FIG. 3. The blank 12 also is out along lines 22-24 and is scored along line 26 so as to form a number (six as illustrated) of flanges 28 which are pressed out and folded interiorly of the forrned charcoal starter as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, to form a grate for supporting the charcoal 30 (FIG. 4) and for providing an area 32 beneath the charcoal for receiving newspaper 34 or other similar ea'sily ignitable material. These flanges 28 forming the grate preferably meet in the center of the charcoal starter 10 but have by-pass air passageways 36 between adjacent ones of them and a centrally disposed air passageway 38. These flanges 28 also preferably are pressed in and bent so that they extend angularly upwardly at an angle of approximately With respect to the side Wall of the charcoal startet 10, as can be best seen in FIG. 4.

Alth0ugh it is not necessary, each of the flanges 28 advantageously can have at least one, as illustrated, o1 two holes 40 forrned in them. Alternatively, the holes can be forrned as punch-outs which can be pressed out to form four generally triangular-shaped projections 42 which extend angularly upwardly from the surface of the flanges 28, as can best be seen in FIG. 9. These projections 42 raise the charcoal and provide air passageways through each of the flanges. The holes 40 may also be circular and cutout.

The blank 12, in addition, has corrugations 44 formed in it which extend vertically upwardly from the score lines 26 to the upper edge 46 thereof. These corrugations increase the rigidity of the Walls of the charcoal startet Patented Mai. 10, 1970 and, in addition, provide individualized flues 48 which are function'ally associated with each of the flanges 28 t enhance combustion and faster starting of the charcoal.

As indicated a-b0ve, the charcoal startet is shipped and/or stored flat in the form of the pre-forrned blank 12 and is thereafter formed in the shape of a cylindrical tube, by merely c'urling the blank 12 and interlocking the lock seams 18 and 20, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Accordingly, a large number of the charcoal starters can be compactly shipped to and stored by the merchandisers thereof. Preferably, during the forming of the blank 12, the blank 12 is pre-rolled so that rather than being flat, it is generally arcuate-shaped so that it can be more easfly formed by the customer. The holes 40 are pre-formed in the flanges 28, and if punch-outs are provided, the latter can be pre-formed to provide the upstandng projections 42, if desired. The punch-outs, however, merely can be cut and a screw driver or the like pressed through them by the purchaser, to form the projections 42.

After the blank 12 is curled and the opposite edges thereof locked together to form thecylindrical tube, the flanges 28 are pressed out and bent angularly upwardly within the interor of the cylindrical tube. The flanges, of course, could be pressed out and bent in the deseribed fashion, prior to curling the blank 12 and affixing its opposite ends together. Also, if the punchouts rather than holes 40 are provided in the flanges 28, the punch-outs, if they have not been pre-forrned, are pressed out prior to forming the cylindrical tube. The charcoal starter 10 now is completely forrned and is ready for use.

In using the charcoal starter 10, newspaper 34 or other similar easily ignited material is crumpled up and placed Within the area 32 beneath the flanges 28 which are now disposed to forrn the gate for supporting the charcoal. After placing the newspaper within the area 32, the charcoal starter 10 is placed on the outdoor grill 50, as illustrater in FIG. l, and a quantity of charcoal is placed within the charcoal starter atop the grate formed by the flanges 28. The newspaper 34 is ignited and as it burns, the resulting flames Will ignite the lowermost ones 0f the charcoal 30 supported on the flanges 28. A draft is created through the openings formed in the side wall of the charcoal starter 10 when the flanges 28 are pressed out, through the air passageways 36 and 38 and those formed in the flanges 28;and out 0f the top of the charcoal starter 10. The air flowing through the charcoal starter 10 also is found to flow across the faces of the flanges 28 to and through the individual flues 48. It is found that these flues therefore enhance the combustion of the newspaper 34 and the charcoal'30 to that ignitionof the latter is quickened.

By the tirne that the newspaper 34 has burned up, the lowermost ones of the charcoal within the starter 10 are ignited. The draft through the charcoal starter 10 supports the combustion of these lowermost ones of the charcoal and, in addition, carries the heat generated by them upwardly through the rest of the charcoal within the starter. Within a very short period of time, all of the charcoal within the starter 10 will be ignited and ready for use. At this tirne, the charcoal is spilled into the outdoor grill 50, through the open top of the Starter 10, as illustrated in FIG. 2.

In FIG. 6, there is illustrated another charcoal starter 60 which is generally like the charcoal starter 10. The charcoal startet 60, however, is formed from the blank 62 illustrated in FIG. 8 and it can be seen that the opposite side edges 63 and 64 of the blank 62 slope angularly inwardly from the bottorn to the top. These side edges 63 and 64 also have interlocking seams 65 and 66 formed thereon, and when the blank 62 is curled and the seams interlocked, the resulting charcoal starter is frustoconical-shaped rather than cylindrical-shaped, as in the case of the charcoal starter 10.

The flues of the charcoal starter 10 also have been eliminated in the case of the charcoal starter 60, however, in all other respects, the charcoal starters 10 and are alike and are formed to ignite charcoal placed within them.

A charcoal starter 10 has been formed in the abovedescribed manner from a blank of sheet steel material 24" in length and 12" in height and has functioned entirely satisfactory. Similarly, a charcoal starter 60 has been formed from a blank of sheet steel material 24 in length at the bottorn, 23" in length at the top and 12" in height, and it too functioned entirely satisfactorily. Other dimensions, of course, can be used and the above-mentioned dimensions are only intended t0 be representative.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent frorn the preceding description, 'are efficiently attained and, since certain chan-ges may be made in the above article without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

lt is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all Statements of the scope of the invention, which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Now that the invention has been described, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A tubular-shaped charcoal starter which can be shipped and stored flat and thereafter easily formed for use, said charcoal starter being formed from a single blank of sheet material which has interlocking seams formed along the opposite side edges thereof for erecting and retaining said blank in a tubular shape, said blank further being out and scored so as to provide a plurality of flanges each having at least one aperture formed therein for provding an air passageway through said flanges, said flanges being bendable interiorly of said starter (o forrn a grate for supporting charcoal therein and for forming an area below said grate for receiving material which is easily ignitable, said flanges being disposed in a fashion such as to provide air passageways between adjacent ones of them.

2. The charcoal starter of claim l, having at least one punch-out formed in each of said flanges forrning upstanding projections for supporting charcoal placed atop said grate at a spaced distance above the surfaces of said flanges and for providing an air passageway through said 1 flanges.

3. The charcoal starter of claim l, wherein said blank References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3112716 12/1963 Knight -1 3123062 3/1964 Psarris 110-1 X FOREIGN PATENTS 17,067 1910 Great Britain.

KENNETI-I W. SPRAGUE, Primary Examiner 

